Sitting in Kusakabe at the light polished wood sushi counter, cut from a single tree, with a delicate glass pitcher of sake, a small hand towel in a black saucer and the fifth of 11 courses, the thought emerges: This style of refined dining could also be a boon for fixed-price Western restaurants.

To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to SFChronicle.com.